Цвіт ашоки

The ashoka flower comes from Saraca asoca, an evergreen tree of the Fabaceae family. The flowers come in heavy, lush bunches. They are bright orange-yellow in color, turning red before wilting. The flowering season is around February to April. In Hinduism the ashoka is considered a sacred tree. The tree is worshipped in Chaitra, a month of the Hindu calendar. The flower is the state flower of the Indian state of Odisha.

Origin and Production

The tree is native to the Indian subcontinent, from Pakistan in the west through India and Bangladesh to Myanmar in the east. Within that range it grows primarily in seasonally dry tropical forests. As a wild tree it is a vulnerable species, and it is becoming rarer in its natural habitat. The tree is often found in royal palace compounds and gardens as well as close to temples throughout India.

Chemistry

The flowers were found to be a source of a wide variety of flavonoids. Epicatechin-3-O-gallate and epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate were observed in the leaves and flowers of the plant. Alcohol extracts of the flowers and of the bark have shown antimicrobial activity.

Traditional Uses

An extract of the flowers is described as useful against haemorrhoids and dysentery.

Look-alike Trees

The flowers of Polyalthia longifolia, a different tree, are apple green, while ashoka flowers are red (initially orange).